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GS Paper: GS3-18.Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.

  • What India should do to get its energy transition right

    The article analyses the problems renewable energy faces in India and suggests the pathways to overcome these challenges.

    India’s commitments and goals

    • India has committed in the 2015 Paris Agreement to reduce GHG emissions intensity by 33-35% below 2005 levels.
    • It also committed to achieve 40% of installed electric power capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030.
    • At the UN General Assembly in 2019, we announced a target of 450 GW of renewable energy (RE) by 2030.

    Let’s look into CEA study

    • The optimal electricity mix study of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), estimated 430 GW non-hydro renewables (280 GW solar + 140 GW wind + 10 GW bio) by 2030.
    • Study put thermal capacity at 266 GW by 2030.
    • So, it puts the percentage of non-fossil fuel (RE + hydro + nuclear) in installed capacity by 2030 at 64%.
    • Which is much higher than India’s Paris commitment.

    Coal contradiction

    • The target for coal production at 1.5 billion tonnes, which was set in 2015, has been reinforced recently to be achieved by 2024.
    • Privatisation of coal mining and recent auctions have given a meaningful thrust to this.
    • Looked at the target set for renewable energy, targets for cola production convey contradictory signals.
    • The targeted coal production of 1.5 billion tonnes, even by 2030, would mean thermal generation capacity could double over the current 223 GW.
    • In that case, even with targeted RE capacity, we will not achieve our emissions intensity Paris commitment.
    • Can a global green champion announce doubling its coal production in five years?

    Problems with Renewables

    1. Policy Issues

    • Solar deployment has seen policy challenges both from Centre and states, these include-
    • Continuous changes in duty structure.
    • Renegotiation of PPAs.
    • Curtailment of solar power.
    • Extremely delayed payments in some states.
    • Policy flip-flops on open access and net metering.
    • Delays by state agencies and regulators.
    • Land possession difficulties.
    • Transmission roadblocks even in solar parks.

    2. Solar cell manufacturing constraints

    • Our capacity for cell manufacture is 3 GW, though workable capacity is actually around 2 GW.
    • Domestically manufactured cells are more expensive and less efficient.
    • There is little upgrade in a rapidly changing world of technology.
    •  90% of cells and 80% modules are imported largely from China or Chinese companies elsewhere.
    • Wafer imports are 100% as we don’t manufacture ingots/wafers.
    • For every GW with an average cost of Rs 5,000 crore in 2019, more than half goes to China.

    3. Storage constraints

    •  Hydro pump storage is limited in quantity and there will be an issue of costs.
    • The other project is a solar-wind hybrid with batteries installed after a few years.
    • Neither intends to meet peak power demand or even the baseload.
    • Forecasts suggest lowering of battery costs by 50% by 2030.
    • It makes sense to wait before we go for large-scale storage.

    Manufacturing domestically

    • 1) At the least plan to make 5 GW of ingot/wafer manufacturing capacity urgently.
    • We may require electricity supply at about Rs 3 per unit, and dedicated power plants.
    • The risk of technology obsolescence would need to be factored in.
    • Policy, fiscal and financial support prescriptions should aim at creating globally competitive industry.
    • 2) We need to develop batteries suitable for extreme Indian weather conditions but globally benchmarked.
    • This demands a mission approach, getting our best people and institutions together, properly funded and tasked to get a battery out in the next three years.
    • 3) We must also simultaneously launch a hydrogen mission—target heavy vehicle mobility through fuel cells.
    • It may become a solution for RE storage, too.

    The issue of supply-demand mismatch

    • In the last two decades, we have been overestimating demand and increasing supply.
    • Our demand projections for 2030 are wildly high.
    • PLF in 2018-19 was 60.30, declining to 56.08 in 2019-20 and hovering around 50% with the Covid-19 impact.
    • Even the latest CEA review of ‘optimal’ mix talks of thermal PLF of 59% in 2030!
    • This is inefficient and costly.
    • Thermal PLF must be taken to over 80%.

    The suggested pathways

    • 1. Build thermal capacity as per CEA estimates and quickly. None after 2030. Retire inefficient plants. Plan for miner rehabilitation.
    • 2. Accelerate RE after 2030 with storage. Aim for 10 GW solar and 5 GW wind annually.
    • 3. Develop 5-10 GW ingot/wafer manufacturing capacity urgently and diversify import sources even at some extra cost.
    • 4. Develop a battery for Indian conditions in three years; full battery manufacturing in India in five years.
    • 5. Revisit the manner of solar generation. Prioritise decentralised and solar agriculture.
    • 6. Plan for hydrogen economy with pilot projects and dedicated highways for long and heavy haul traffic.
    • 7. Put a strong energy demand management system into place with much stronger energy efficiency and the conservation movement.

    Consider the question “Central Electricity Authority finalised the optimal electricity mix study recently setting the targets for the future. Examine the constraints that expansion of solar energy faces and suggest the pathways to overcome the challenges.”

    Conclusion

    Embracing the RE will help India economically and strategically. It will also help it achieve its targets in its fight against climate change.

    Back2Basics: Central Electricity Authority

    • Central Electricity Authority (CEA) is an organization originally constituted under Section 3(1) of the repealed Electricity (Supply) Act, 1948, since substituted by Section 70 of the Electricity Act, 2003.
    • It was established as a part-time body in 1951 and made a full-time body in 1975.
    • The functions and duties of CEA are delineated under Section 73 of the Electricity Act, 2003

    Plant Load Factor (PLF)

    • Plant Load Factor (PLF) is the ratio of average power generated by the plant to the maximum power that could have been generated for a given time period.

    Original Op-ed

    https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/what-india-should-do-to-get-its-energy-transition-right/2016648/

  • Species in news: Golden Birdwing

    A Himalayan butterfly named golden birdwing is now India’s largest recorded butterfly.

    Try this MCQ:

    Q.The Himalayan Golden Birdwing recently seen in news is a:

    a)Biggest butterfly

    b)Smallest avian specie

    c)Biggest freshwater fish

    d)Honeybee

    Golden Birdwing

    • A Himalayan butterfly named golden birdwing is now India’s largest, a record the southern birdwing held for 88 years.
    • The male golden birdwing is much smaller at 106 mm.
    • With a wingspan of 194 mm, the female of the species is marginally larger than the southern birdwing (190 mm) that Brigadier William Harry Evans, a British military officer and lepidopterist, recorded in 1932.
    • It was an individual of the southern birdwing which was then treated as a subspecies of the common birdwing.

    Other butterflies in news

    • The Malabar Banded Peacock or the Buddha Mayoori which was recently declared the ‘State Butterfly’ of Kerala will have a dedicated butterfly park in Kochi.
    • Tamil Nadu has also recently declared Tamil Yeoman (Cirrochroa Thais)as its state butterfly to symbolise its rich natural and cultural heritage, in a move aimed at boosting the conservation efforts of the attractive insects.
    • Other states to have state butterflies are Maharashtra (Blue Mormon), Uttarakhand (Common peacock), Karnataka (Southern birdwings).

  • Railways to become Net Zero Carbon Emission Mass Transport by 2030

    A new dawn ushers on Indian Railways as it endeavors to be self-reliant for its energy needs as directed by the Prime Minister and solarise railway stations by utilizing its vacant lands for Renewable Energy (RE) projects.

    Moving towards ‘Net Zero’ Carbon Emission Railways

    • The Ministry of Railways has decided to install solar power plants on its vacant unused lands on mega-scale.
    • The use of solar power will accelerate the mission to achieve a conversion of Indian Railways to ‘Net Zero’ Carbon Emission Railway.
    • Railway Energy Management Company Ltd. (REMCL) is working to further proliferate the use of solar energy on mega scale.
    • It has already floated tenders for 2 GW of solar projects for Indian Railways to be installed on unutilised railway lands.

    Projects along operational railway lines

    • Indian Railways is also adopting an innovative concept of installation of solar projects along operational railway lines.
    • This will help in preventing encroachment, enhancing the speed and safety of trains and reduction of infrastructure costs due to direct injection of solar power into the traction network.
    • With these mega initiatives, Indian Railways is leading India’s fight against climate challenge.
    • These are significant steps towards meeting its ambitious goal of being a net zero carbon emissions organisation and meeting India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) targets.

     

  • Plastic waste management in pandemic

    The threat posed by plastic waste to the environment is well established. The corona pandemic has led to an increase in plastic waste. This article suggests some ways to deal with the issue.

    Rising plastic use during pandemic

    •  In 2018, a report by McKinsey estimated that, globally, we generate 350 million tonnes of plastic waste.
    • Only 16 per cent of it is recycled.
    • Today, due to pandemic the amount of plastic waste we are generating is much higher than that estimated in the McKinsey report.
    • The Guardian recently reported that there are possibly more masks than jellyfish in the oceans today.

    Management of plastic in India

    • We have the Plastic Waste Management Rules of 2016, which were updated and amended in 2018.
    • In fact, India saw incredible momentum in its fight for effective management of plastic waste in the last year.
    • The Prime Minister made clarion calls for a jan andolan (people’s movement) to curb the use of single-use plastic(SUP).
    • Jan andolan was also to ensure proper disposal of all plastic waste.
    • Also, the entire country rallied together under the banner of the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign.

    Why single-use plastic is different

    • Plastic is not the problem, our handling of it is.
    • We need plastic, but not SUP, which is difficult to dispose of effectively, and that is where the problem lies.
    • It is important to understand this distinction.
    • By understanding this distinction we may change our behaviour and our lifestyles, to balance our need for plastic with effectively managing its waste.

    Way forward

    • One way to approach the issue is to treat it not just as an environmental problem but as an economic opportunity.
    •  We require new business models which are designed for sustainability.
    • In Uganda, they are melting plastic waste to make face shields which are being sold for just a dollar each.
    • But, most of all, we need a tectonic shift in the behaviour of consumers.
    • We need consumers to care about their role in the plastic waste value chain.
    • Under phase 2 of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) village communities are now starting to plan for setting up waste collection and segregation systems, with material recovery facilities at the block- level.
    • Change is possible when we take necessary steps to Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and, when all else fails, Remove, or dispose of plastic waste safely and effectively.
    • Raising awareness amongst the public of the harm caused by plastic pollution through education and outreach programs to modify behavior.
      • A movement against plastic waste would have to prioritise the reduction of single-use plastic such as multi-layer packaging, bread bags, food wrap, and protective packaging.
    • Promote Alternatives, before the ban or levy comes into force, the availability of alternatives need to be assessed, hence the government may:
      • Provide economic incentives to encourage the uptake of eco-friendly and fit-for-purpose alternatives that do not cause more harm.
      • Support can include tax rebates, research and development funds, technology incubation, public-private partnerships and support to projects that recycle single-use items and turn waste into a resource that can be used again.
      • Reduce or abolish taxes on the import of materials used to make alternatives.
    • Provide incentives to the alternative industry by introducing tax rebates or other conditions to support its transition from plastic industry.
    • Expanding the use of biodegradable plastics or even edible plastics made from various materials such as bagasse (the residue after extracting juice from sugarcane), corn starch, and grain flour.
    • Use of microbeads in personal care products and cosmetics must be prohibited.
    • Target the most problematic single-use plastics by conducting a baseline assessment to identify the most problematic single-use plastics, as well as the current causes, extent and impacts of their mismanagement.
    • Consider the best actions to tackle the problem of plastic waste management (e.g. through regulatory, economic, awareness, voluntary actions) given the country’s socio-economic standing.
    • Assess the potential social, economic and environmental impacts (positive and negative) of the preferred short-listed plastic waste management measures/actions, by considering how will the poor be affected, or what impact will the preferred course of action have on different sectors and industries.
    • Identify and engage key stakeholder groups like retailers, consumers, industry representatives, local government, manufacturers, civil society, environmental groups, and tourism associations in order to ensure broad buy-in.
    • Explaining the decision and any punitive measures that will follow, as a result of non compliance of plastic management rule.
    • Use revenues collected from taxes or levies on single-use plastics to maximize the public good, thereby supporting environmental projects or boosting local recycling with the funds and creating jobs in the plastic recycling sector with seed funding.
    • Enforce the plastic waste management measure effectively, by making sure that there is clear allocation of roles and responsibilities.
    • Monitor and adjust the plastic waste management measure if necessary and update the public on progress.

    Consider the question “What are the legal provisions for plastic waste management in India? Suggest the ways to deal with the issue of plastic waste effectively.”

    Conclusion

    The corona pandemic crisis should not blind us to the plastic crisis and we should try to bring about the behaviour change when it comes to the use of plastic and devise the economic model.

  • Biodiversity Governance: The agreements and laws that help enforce it

  • Tillari Conservation Reserve

    The Maharashtra state forest department on declared 29.53 sq. km area of Dodamarg forest range in Sindhudurg district as ‘Tillari Conservation Reserve’.

    Note the differences between Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves. Their shuffled meanings can be asked directly in statements based MCQs.

    Tillari Conservation Reserve

    • This area is known to serve as a corridor and even as a habitat for the population of tigers and elephants moving between the three states of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
    • The 38-km-long Dodamarg wildlife corridor that connects Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra to Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka frequently witnesses elephant and tiger movement.
    • Tillari will be the seventh corridor in the state to be declared as a ‘conservation reserve’.

    What are Conservation Reserves?

    • They denote protected areas which typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests.
    • Such areas are designated if they are uninhabited and completely owned by the Government of India but used for subsistence by communities if part of the lands is privately owned.
    • Administration of such reserves would be through local people and local agencies like the gram panchayat, as in the case of communal forests.

    What are Community Reserves?

    • They are the first instances of private land being accorded protection under the legislature.
    • It opens up the possibility of communally owned for-profit wildlife resorts, and also causes privately held areas under non-profit organizations like land trusts to be given protection.
    • These protected area categories were first introduced in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2002 − the amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
    • These categories were added because of reduced protection in and around existing or proposed protected areas due to private ownership of land, and land use.

  • Central Zoo Authority (CZA)

    The Environment Ministry has reconstituted the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) to include an expert from the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, and a molecular biologist.

    Note following things about CZA:

    1)Its constitution under any Act

    2)Composition

    3)Roles and functions

    About CZA

    • The CZA is the body of the government responsible for oversight of zoos constituted under the section 38A of Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972.
    • The main objective of the authority is to complement the national effort in the conservation of wildlife.
    • Standards and norms for housing, upkeep, health care and overall management of animals in zoos have been laid down under the Recognition of Zoo Rules, 1992.

    Roles & Functions

    • The Authority’s role is more of a facilitator than a regulator.
    • It, therefore, provides technical and financial assistance to such zoos which have the potential to attain the desired standard in animal management.
    • Primary function– grant of recognition and release of financial assistance.
    • It also regulates the exchange of animals of endangered category Listed under Schedule-I and II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act among zoos.
    • Exchange of animals between Indian and foreign zoos is also approved by the Authority before the requisite clearances under EXIM Policy and the CITES permits are issued by the competent authority.
    • The Authority also coordinates and implements programmes on capacity building of zoo personnel, planned breeding programmes and ex-situ research including biotechnological intervention for the conservation of species for complementing in-situ conservation efforts in the country.

    Composition

    • Apart from the chairman, it consists of 10 members and a member-secretary.
    • Almost all of them are officials in the Environment Ministry and NGO experts are those who are wildlife conservationists or retired forest officers.

  • Species in news: Assam keelback snake

    More than a century after it was first seen, the Assam keelback — a snake species endemic to the region — was rediscovered in 2018 at the Poba Reserve Forest (RF) by a team from Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

    Try this question from CSP 2018:

    Q.In which one of the following State Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary is located?

    (a) Arunachal Pradesh (b) Manipur (c) Meghalaya (d) Nagaland

    Assam Keelback Snake

    • The species is small — about 60 cm long, brownish, with a patterned belly.
    • This particular keelback does not belong to the generalized keelback snake of India but is rather a unique genus (Herpetoreas).
    • It was discovered 129 years ago by Samuel Edward Peel, a British tea planter based in Upper Assam.
    • The snake’s ‘lost’ status has a lot to do with the habitat it occupies — in this case, a lowland evergreen forest.
    • These forests have been selectively degraded during the last 100 years: tea plantations have been made, selective logging has taken place, and many other activities such as oil exploration and coal mining.

    Is the snake under threat?

    • Most snakes and other reptiles are categorised as ‘data deficient’ in the IUCN list.
    • There is practically no information available about it and it is difficult to determine its status.

  • Species in news: Globba Andersonii Plant

    A team of researchers have “rediscovered” a rare species called Globba andersonii from the Sikkim Himalayas near the Teesta River valley region after a gap of nearly 136 years.

    Try this question from CSP 2016:

    Q.With reference to ‘Red Sanders’, sometimes seen in the news, consider the following statements:

    1. It is a tree species found in a part of South India.
    2. It is one of the most important trees in the tropical rain forest areas of South India.

    Which of the above statements is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

    Globba Andersonii

    IUCN status: Critically Endangered

    • Globba andersonii is characterised by white flowers, non-appendaged anthers (the part of a stamen that contains the pollen) and a “yellowish lip”.
    • The plant, known commonly as ‘dancing ladies’ or ‘swan flowers’ was thought to have been extinct until its “re-collection”, for the first time since 1875.
    • The earliest records of the collection of this plant were dated between the period 1862-70 when it was collected by Scottish botanist Thomas Anderson from Sikkim and Darjeeling.
    • Then, in 1875, the British botanist Sir George King, had collected this taxon from the Sikkim Himalayas.

  • New rules to regulate exotic animal trade

    The Environment Ministry’s wildlife division has introduced new rules to regulate the import and export of ‘exotic wildlife species’.

    Practice questions for mains:

    Q.What are Zoonotic Diseases? Discuss how the illicit trade in wildlife has resulted in the spread of zoonotic diseases of the scale of the ongoing COVID-19?

    Which exotic species are these new regulations talking about?

    • The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau is an organisation that is tasked with monitoring illegal trade.
    • The advisory says ‘exotic live species’ will cover animals under Appendices I, II and III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora.
    • It will not include species from the Schedules of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

    What are the new rules?

    • Currently, it is the Directorate-General of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce that oversees such trade.
    • Under the new rules, owners and possessors of such animals and birds must also register their stock with the Chief Wildlife Warden of their States.
    • Officials of the Wildlife Department will also prepare an inventory of such species and have the right to inspect the facilities of such traders to check if these plants and animals are being housed in inhumane conditions.
    • Additionally, stockists will have six months to declare their stock.

    Why such a move?

    • The illegal trade is estimated to generate revenues of up to $23 billion a year, a/c to FATF.
    • India continues to battle wildlife crime, with reports suggesting that many times such species are available for trade on online market places.

    Also read:

    Guidelines for Import of Exotic Species

    Back2Basics: CITES

    • CITES stands for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
    • It is as an international agreement aimed at ensuring “that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival”.
    • It was drafted after a resolution was adopted at a meeting of the members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1963.
    • It entered into force on July 1, 1975, and now has 183 parties.
    • The Convention is legally binding on the Parties in the sense that they are committed to implementing it; however, it does not take the place of national laws.
    • India is a signatory to and has also ratified CITES convention in 1976.

    CITES Appendices

    • CITES works by subjecting international trade in specimens of selected species to certain controls.
    • All import, export, re-exports and introduction from the sea of species covered by the convention has to be authorized through a licensing system.

    It has three appendices:

    • Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction. Trade-in specimens of these species are permitted only in exceptional circumstances.
    • Appendix II provides a lower level of protection.
    • Appendix III contains species that are protected in at least one country, which has asked other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling trade.